Elfen Lied
by xxbeyondxbirthdayxx
Summary: Mello, night elf, became the Supreme Elf now that his ruler of a father has passed away. Fulfilling his duty of meeting the Alliance people to introduce himself formally, his trip brings him to Stormwind. There, he will encounter a poor, simple of mind villager abused by the Prince. As he leaves to rejoin his peaceful lands, Mello knows he's bringing trouble back to Teldrassil...
1. Chapter 1

_**Note:** My FB page reached 100 likes so as promised, I'm posting a new fic!_

 _The title doesn't mean that this fic is actually related to Elfen Lied, I just liked it as a title a lot, nothing more!  
_  
 _This is a strange crossover between Matt & Mello from Death Note, World of Warcraft and some elements from Earth's Children book series (very little though, just the totem concept actually).  
_ _Basically, take Matt and Mello - one human, one elf - put them in the WoW universe with a few characters from the game, and that's it. Since my main focus is Matt and Mello, I know that some WoW characters are totally OOC (Anduin is pretty much the opposite of what he really is) but that was needed for the fic so bear with it if you're a WoW fan!_

* * *

The ship sailed smoothly on grey waters as it approached the Human capital's docks. The Night Elf refrained a sigh at the memory of the emerald sea around Teldrassil, his beautiful homeland. He hadn't seen it for quite some time now, but his travel was nearing the end, Stormwind being his last stop before going back home.

He wasn't fond of Humans. He didn't hate them, but if he had to rate his feelings, they were pretty close to scorn. Humans were petty, vain and attached to material possessions in a way that rendered them unsatisfied, with everything, all the time. Himself didn't need much except some impossible calm right now.

He was a creature of the woods, of the elements and the night, and he would usually avoid meeting Humans at all costs.  
But right now, his father passing away a few weeks ago, leaving the leadership of his people in his hands, he couldn't escape the duty that had fallen upon him as the new ruler of the Elven Lands: meeting the heads of the Alliance tribes to secure the bonds and introduce himself as the new Supreme Elf.  
He disliked it. He hated the position, the superiority involved with his rank - that he didn't want to apply -, the title and the task. But he also knew that he didn't have the right to pass. The thousands of years old tradition wouldn't be broken so easily, as little as he wanted to pursue the family's ancestral heirloom.

There was also another weight in the balance. Power was an attractive artefact to possess, and as peaceful as the elves were, there is vice in every living form. His tribe was not an exception. The newly named Supreme Elf would never fail the tradition for it would mean leaving the reins of his race to his obvious successor.  
In other times, with a worthy second, he might have considered turning to a more peaceful life while someone else attended to the tribe, but it wasn't an option: you cannot leave the power to someone whose ambition is to annex all Alliances' people to the elves. When words of war, slavery and domination are the main ingredients of a regular oration, doom is bound to happen, should this person take matters in their hands.

He had already met the Gnomes, the Worgens – that had been absolutely obnoxious in their lack of hospitality and respect of the Alliance -, the peaceful Draeneïs and the drunkards that are Dwarves, so he was at least glad that it was over soon, after he would have talked with Varian Wrynn, the Human king. Then he would go back straight to his island, north of Kalimdor.

The huge saber tiger at his side growled when a passenger grazed him as he went past them, wanting to be first to debark, the low sound stirring the Elf from his thoughts, deepening the frown on his face, his ears already attacked by the noisy crowd, his nose filled with disgusting smells, too many informations coming to his senses in too little time.  
Stormwind was a nightmare for someone like him who loved silence, nature and the simple scent of Mother Earth. Humans wouldn't know, their senses were weak and that was probably why they could get along with such stench and clutter.

The fair-haired Night Elf was surprised to see Varian himself welcome him on the dock, a guard at each of his sides, a smile plastered on his ageing features, his arms held out to his visitor.  
"Mello, son of Melvaarion! Welcome to Stormwind!" he greeted him, "Please accept my condolences, your father was a long time friend of mine, and a valuable ally. He will be greatly missed, I can assure you."

The Night Elf walked to the Human king, his riding tiger following in his tracks, but stopped before him at a safe distance from his open arms. He wasn't one for effusions, and Varian quickly understood, letting his arms fall at his sides. Like father, like son... he thought, remembering the tall Night Elf that used to be his friend.

They had fought side by side many times, been together side by side at peaceful times as well, enjoying their friendship, but the late Supreme Elf had never lost his reserve.  
Varian had known Mello as a child, and although he had not seen him more than twice, he had difficulties seeing him as a grown-up and responsible male, and even more as the one in charge for his people now.

The man in front of him, not much older than his own son who was in his mid-twenties, still had the features of a young male, nothing like his father, but this would come with age and experience... and the battles he would fight. The Gods forbid any more war though... Varian muttered to himself as he turned around to lead Mello to the castle.

"Anduin is impatient to see you."  
It was useless to try to make conversation, apparently, as Mello didn't reply.  
What could the young male say? His only souvenir of Anduin was a spoiled brat that loved to torment other kids and animals. Himself wasn't impatient to see the Prince.

The walk was a bit long since they had to climb long stairways and cross the capital to reach the castle, making the silence even more awkward. But the Human King knew better than try to stir words out of the Night Elf and he kept silent, preceding the little cortege firmly with the two guards behind him and his taciturn visitor.

Once they entered the throne room, the guards left and Varian turned to face Mello.  
"I assume that your trip has been long and tiring and that you wish to rest, my intendant will show you your apartments for the night, and we will discuss political matters tomorrow morning. But I hope that you still have some energy left for the small dinner I have organised in your honour tonight, it is out of the question that we do not celebrate your venue here, and you must be starving anyway!"

Mello cringed. If the choice was his, he'd rather retire to his apartments right now and feed on the small supplies he had left in the bag attached to the saddle of his tiger. Or better, he'd preferably discuss political matters immediately since there was nothing to discuss, really, it was only customary that he had presented himself to each of the other rulers of the Alliance, and he would leave right after that.  
But refusing Varian's hospitality would be a great offence, and he respected the memory of his father too much to do him wrong in the tomb.  
So the Night Elf simply nodded, and followed the intendant through corridors. The mount followed under the dubious look of the king and his guards, but none opposed. They liked the idea of the animal staying with his master better than having the huge cat wandering around the castle on his own. He was quite scary, his withers easily reaching a man's waist, teeth like daggers and ready to pounce on anyone that would touch him that wasn't his master.

Varian looked at the young male leaving the throne room. Really, he was nothing like his father. He was shorter, well, at least shorter for a Night Elf's standard, although very well built, defined muscled rolling under the skin, hands calloused already from a life in the woods, but all the Human king saw in him was Mello's mother. He had inherited her pale white skin, her fine yet sharp facial traits, thin nose and graceful stature. He didn't know anything about Night Elves' genetics, but couldn't help but wonder how on Earth the boy had ended up with hair so fair and water-clear eyes when his mother had them both dark green and his father had had his long strands white from birth, along with black eyes.  
But there was no denying he was their son, the young male mixed the physical traits of his mother with his father's attitudes too obviously not to notice.

Alone at last, minus his riding tiger that had sprawled on the tiled floor, yawning loudly, as soon as his master had rid him of the saddle and reins, Mello began by grooming the wriggling cat that relished in the treatment, before washing the grim of the travel off himself in the small bathroom adjacent to his bedroom.  
He knew he had a bit of time to kill before someone would fetch him for dinner, and was pondering about what to do until then, when he heard a voice coming from under his window.  
"Come oooon, you won't get caught, I promise!"  
The Night Elf approached the window and glanced toward the direction the voice came from.

It was coming from quite far below since Mello's room had a view on the backside of the castle, a grass patch just before the mountains, and he could barely see more than hair and clothing.  
A young man, his age maybe, with garments that stated his high rank at Stormwind, was pulling another boy by the arm – boy that obviously wasn't of the same rank, more a poor villager than anything considering the mangy clothes he was wearing, and Mello only guessed it was a boy by the fact that he was wearing pants, because really, he was so frail that he could have mistaken him for a girl – and was apparently trying to convince him to do something that the other didn't want to.

"Come oooooon! If you like me you have to do it!"  
The other's response was barely a whisper, but Elven ears were a lot sharper than Humans' and Mello clearly understood the boy's refusal, although weak out of fear. "I'm not sure... I... what if someone comes?"  
"Please, Matt, pretty please? You have to show me you like me too otherwise I won't see you anymore!"  
The last words of the higher ranked boy were persuasive enough for the poor redhead.  
"Okay..." the one named Matt replied in a sigh, kneeling in front of the other. He seemed to hesitate though. "Sir Anduin, do you really like me?"

Anduin... so it was him...  
"Yeah, of course!" the Prince's mouth poured out the lies with the confidence of someone who practised them on a regular basis. _So he hasn't changed a bit_... Mello thought as he witnessed the scene.  
Mello didn't miss the glimmer of hope in the boy's eyes as he rose his face to look up at the Prince. Anyone would have understood the pitiful abuse, but the redhead didn't realise he was being lied to. How could someone be so naïve?

It was none of his business, and he could be wrong anyway, so Mello looked away as the boy began to reach for Anduin's pants' opening.  
But before he turned away completely, he caught movement in the corner of his eye, in the bushes a few feet away from the scene. Squinting his eyes, he saw four boys hidden and giggling.  
Quickly understanding that it was more than just little lies to get a sexual favour, Mello grabbed his bow and shot an arrow in direction of the bush, close enough to make the boys scurry away, the stampede making the redhead jump on his feet, horror painted on his face.  
"Someone was watching!" he panicked.  
But the Prince was concerned by a totally different matter.  
"Someone tried to kill me! Where did that arrow come from?! Father! FATHER!"

Mello knew he would have to explain his actions, but he wasn't scared of Anduin. He watched the redhead, thinking that he would run away with all the fuss the Prince was doing, but instead, the boy picked up the arrow as soon as he saw it, understanding finally why Anduin was crying bloody murder, and watched it closely before checking around for someone that could have possibly shot it.  
Anduin, on his part, was already gone, running to the front of the castle through the gardens, still calling his father.  
The Night Elf followed the redheaded boy visually until he was gone from hearing guards approaching. Then he left his apartments for the throne room where Anduin was still acting as if the arrow had touched him.

"That's enough Anduin." Varian raised a hand to silence his son as he saw his guest approach.  
"I shot the arrow." Mello simply stated, to erase all doubt, although he knew that the king wasn't stupid, and could put two and two together knowing that Anduin was in the back of the castle specifically where the room of his archery expert visitor was located as well.  
"WHY DID YOU TRY TO KILL ME?!" the Prince marched on him before stopping cold. The Night Elf's look was intimidating to say the least, and his lack of courage did the rest.  
"I didn't". The Darnassian accent was thick, but the voice was steady. It was one of a being that knew he wasn't the one to blame.  
"Mello, can I ask you why you shot an arrow knowing that my son was around? I know very well that if you had wanted to aim at him, you wouldn't have missed, so there has to be a valid explanation. Please give it to me. Were you trying to protect him from something?" Varian had no doubts that the Night Elf meant no wrong to his son.

Mello stared at Anduin for a few seconds, but the coward wouldn't open his mouth, and Mello didn't want to confront him because in the end, all the blame might be put on the redhead's account and he didn't want that.  
"I was practicing."

The king turned to face his son, his look severe. He was very well aware of his offspring's temper and behaviour, and he had no uncertainty about the fact that Anduin had pulled another trick. The circumstances were quite unusual and he couldn't fathom what had happened, but if his visitor had deemed necessary to shoot an arrow then the matter was somehow serious.

"Oh!" Anduin exclaimed suddenly, his face lighting up with the triumph of someone who found an exit door in a tricky labyrinth, "You were actually aiming at that boy, right? The one that was attacking me! Father, there was that boy with the red hair from the village, and he was after me for some reason and your visitor apparently helped me, and I was already so scared because of the other assaulting me that I mistook his help for another attack."  
"Find the boy!" Varian shouted at his guards, "Bring him here, he will have to explain himself in front of me before I throw him in a cell!"  
"Father, no!"

Mello was surprised to hear Anduin raise against his father, in favour of the young villager. Probably as much as the king himself.  
"He's just a poor scoundrel, and he doesn't have all his right mind, his family would be devastated if they knew. I know that what he did is very wrong, but he probably only wanted some money, he's not even strong enough to hurt me, please, let's forget this."  
Every word screamed lie to the king's ears but he saw from the corner of his eye his intendant entering the room, probably to inform him that the banquet was ready, and he was very tired of his son's regular antics, so he dismissed his guards with a sign of his right hand, sighing that his guest had had to witness this.  
"Let's devote ourselves to more pleasant activities." he gestured to Mello and his son toward the huge door that had been opened on the left, leading to a room where a table had been set for too many people to consider it a small dinner. And indeed, from a door at the far end of the dining area, nobles in fancy clothing began to enter, taking place on each side of the table, leaving both ends free for the king, his son and the visitor.

The Night Elf gave a dark look at the Prince, who smirked before taking the seat that was his at one end of the table.  
"Mello, please sit beside me." the king gestured to the chair that was paired with his at the other end. It was customary to have important guests sit next to the king during celebrations.  
Mello sat, as Varian introduced him to the crowd: "Mello, son of Melvaarion, the new Supreme Elf!"  
The young male breathed heavily, highly annoyed by the clapping and the overall forced public activity, but he showed nothing of his displeasure.

Once the feast was over, Mello retired to his apartments.  
He was about to take some rest a while later when he heard steps in a corridor nearby, when everything had been silent until then, steps that were being taken so carefully that it was obvious that whoever was walking didn't want to be heard.  
His trained ears recognised the Prince by the sound of his shoes and the rustling of his clothing.  
With a practised ease, he opened his own door without a sound and, his tiger in toe, trailed the other, unnoticed.  
Master of camouflage, the Night Elf slid in shadows while the Prince progressed in the night, soon joining his acolytes in front of a tavern in the center of Stormwind.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where's your sister?" Anduin asked to one of them.  
"She's waiting up there." the young man gestured vaguely to his right, a path leading out of the central place to a dark street. The little group started to walk in that direction.

They were silent at first but as soon as they were far enough from the center, they started chatting.  
"I never thought he'd do it." one of the boys exclaimed as he turned to look at the one walking behind him.  
"Are you kidding me? He's so stupid you can make him believe anything! Last week I told him that you can see the Eastern Kingdoms if you climb up the highest tree around Stormwind, he almost broke his neck trying to!" another one mocked.  
They all laughed hard, and Mello could only guess that they were speaking of the redhead.  
"I have an idea!" the young Prince changed direction and began to walk up the path that led out of town to the village.  
"What are you doing?" the taller asked, "My sister's waiting and I had a hard time bringing her here..."  
"She can wait a little more for the Prince." Anduin huffed, speeding up.

Mello trailed them until they reached a small shack at the border of the village, a little apart from the real houses.  
"Matt!" Anduin called, not loud enough for his voice to reach the houses, but enough so some movement was heard inside of the small hovel.  
The redhead appeared, alarmed, dishevelled, obviously awoken.  
"Sir Anduin! Is there something wrong?" he asked, worried, running to the Prince until he saw the others, recognising them from earlier. His eyes went wide, and it was clear he didn't understand what was happening.  
"Come with us." Anduin commanded him, his tone firm enough so the boy didn't oppose despite his evident distress.

They headed back to the city but before they entered the gates, they turned left to a patch of trees.  
The poor villager was looking around him, still wondering what they wanted from him, sending desperate looks to the Prince in search of a response, but the other didn't spare him a single glance as he walked.  
Anduin stopped though, when he saw what he was aiming for: his friend's sister, standing her hands joined on her skirt, slightly starting when she saw the troop arrive.

"My Prince!" she bowed, her face reddening.  
"Do you like the dress that I got sent to you?" Anduin asked her, eyeing her like a piece of meat.  
"Yes my Prince! I am so honoured! It's too much for a girl like me! I can never thank you enough!" she spouted, her head low, embarrassed.  
"Then you can take it off now."  
The young woman's head shot up, a disbelieving look in her eyes.  
"Your brother was stupid enough to bet against me, and he lost. And guess what he offered as a prize? Or better, who he offered..." Anduin chuckled, very much pleased with himself.  
"But my Prince... I..."  
"Take. Your. Dress. Off. Would you deny the Prince of Stormwind?"

The young woman sent a desperate look to her brother, who didn't move an inch, and carried out. She knew that there was no escape out of this, it was the Prince, and she knew that he could very well ruin her family and make their lives miserable if he wished so, she had already seen him in action...  
Slowly, the garment fell off her shoulders and to the floor, leaving her naked, and she tried to cover her nudity with her hands the best she could.

The redhead, seeing this, tried to run away, but he was quickly caught by the arm by one of the Prince's friends.  
"Where do you think you're going?" Anduin chuckled, "I've got something to show you, and you'd better keep your eyes open wide."

On these words, the Prince pushed the young woman to the ground, and didn't bother with preliminaries as he penetrated her in one go, eliciting a pained cry from his friend's sister. He looked long at the villager, a smirk on his face, as he fucked her, savouring the horrified expression of the redhead, who tried to look away but somehow was hypnotized by the scene. He couldn't believe it. The Prince had said he liked him, so why was he doing this to him? To her?

Anduin was obviously very amused by the situation, and as he caught his breath after the act, leaving the poor girl half passed out of shame on the ground, he managed to utter a few words that only made the redhead cringe even more.  
"By all Gods Matt! Did you really think that I, Prince Anduin, like boys?"  
He huffed, readjusting himself, adding even more distress to the petite boy facing him now, "I'm a real man Matt, I will marry a woman and before that, I will fuck as many as I please, I'm not a little bitch like you!"  
"But... why?" was all the other could muster through his tears.  
"Because it was funny, and the others wouldn't believe me when I told them you were a fag!"  
"Don't tell anyone, please!" Matt cried, trying to set his arm free of the grip that held him in place.

The Night Elf frowned. Something told him that Anduin would make sure that the whole capital knew about the redhead's sexual orientation just out of amusement. He hadn't changed a bit. He only knew how to have fun by taking advantage of people, humiliating them if not properly ruining it for them, just as he used to do when he was a kid.  
Mello had met him only once in Nighthaven long ago, but he had overheard his mother and father talk about the Prince on several occasions when his father would come back from war and report the latest jinks of Anduin while shaking his head. His father used to say that he didn't understand how the little Prince could be so undisciplined and mean when his father was an example of righteousness. The queen had passed away when Anduin was still a baby but still, it was no excuse.

One more reason why Mello despised Humans. They didn't have the littlest basic respect for what Mother Earth had created. It wasn't uncommon among Night Elves to mate someone of the same gender, living creatures were the way they were as they came to this world, and no one was in a position to discuss nature's choices. But Humans, as always thinking too high of themselves, had deemed unacceptable same gender's mating, and the poor boy was the victim of this nonsense.

But he wouldn't intervene. It was tough for the boy but the Night Elf was still only a guest here, and confronting the Prince himself would do no good for relationships between Humans and his people, and the redhead would probably be mistreated even more as a revenge as soon as Mello would be gone.

The boy finally ran away, still crying, while Anduin walked happily in the other direction, still laughing softly.  
"Give this to your sister." Anduin threw a small purse to his friend, "That should make up for this."

The Prince came back to the castle, and the Night Elf rejoined his apartments to finally take some rest.

Early in the morning, the King sent someone to fetch Mello so they could discuss political matters as planned.  
The topics were quickly surveyed, in times of peace there was not much to talk about anyway, and Mello didn't complain, he wanted to leave Stormwind as soon as possible.  
As him and Varian left the room, they heard some fuss in front of the castle, and the King started to run in that direction, recognising Anduin's voice.  
Mello stayed behind, but he could hear everything from where he was.

"What's going on here?" Varian said loudly, inwardly hoping that his son hadn't stirred trouble once again.  
A man in his mid forties knelt immediately in front of the King. He was dressed nicely, although it was clear that he wasn't a noble by any means.  
"My King, please forgive me! I didn't mean to cause you any displeasure! It's my daughter... her mother found her dress that she wore yesterday and... the dress wasn't hers, I mean, it was too beautiful to be hers, but she doesn't want to tell me who offered it and the dress it was... my wife saw it... it was, there was blood and... other things..."  
"What are you trying to say?" Varian didn't understand a word of what the man was trying to explain and he was starting to get irritated.  
"My daughter, she was dishonoured! She doesn't want to say who it was, but whoever it was... No one will marry her now... and what if she gets pregnant? Sir, she is my only daughter!"  
"I'm sorry to hear that. I understand your concern, and I want you to rest assured that I will find a suitable husband for your daughter as soon as possible, and should it prove impossible, she will be sent to the best convent of the shire. But if she doesn't want to name the culprit, then I'm afraid that he can't receive the punishment that he deserves."

Anduin was nervous, but he tried to keep his composure. Even if it came to be known that he was said culprit, he didn't risk much, he was the future King after all. But still, he didn't want to face his father's anger if he learnt the truth.  
"We know who it is, Sir!" the man went on, "She admitted when and where it happened, and I went there with my neighbours, we searched the whole place for a clue and we found this."  
He handed out a sandal to the King.  
"It belongs to Matt, the son of the fisherman."  
"Who?" Varian asked, not sure who the man was talking about.  
"The son of the old Jack, who passed away ten years ago while trying to catch crabs under the docks, he got eaten by a shark."  
"You mean the one that was married to Lita, the fortune teller?"  
"Yes, that one! His son has lived alone in the old cabin since his father passed away, he's not in his right mind but I always thought he was a good boy..."

Varian turned to his son, who was livid by now.  
"Wasn't it the one that attacked you yesterday?"  
Anduin, feeling the trap closing in, replied the first thing that came to his mind.  
"I'm so sorry this happened... yes he attacked me yesterday, I didn't want to say why because I didn't think he was a threat, but... I have proof that he is a... he is attracted to men... and he didn't like it when I confronted him, that's why he was after me yesterday. As for the dress, your son helped me for something lately and he didn't want a reward for himself, so I thanked him with the dress for his sister. I think Matt saw me give the dress and he took his revenge on me on your daughter. I'm really, truly sorry, tell me if there is anything I can do for your daughter."

The Night Elf couldn't believe what he just heard. Was Varian really believing all of these lies? Swiftly, he jumped on the back of his Frostsaber and crossed the distance between the throne room and the front of the castle, startling everyone as he rode past at full speed.  
The King, persuaded that his visitor was going after the redhead, ordered his guards to follow and find the boy.

Mello was too quick and easily distanced them. Yes, he was going after the redhead, but not for the reasons the King thought he was. The boy was in trouble, and Mello had the feeling that whatever the poor lad could say wouldn't be heard. They might even sentence him to death, and he couldn't let that happen. If he had to, he would confront Anduin this time, but if he could avoid breaking the peace between his people and Humans, and keep the boy safe, it would be his first choice. Varian might know of his son's bad habits, it didn't mean he'd accept the dishonour, especially not coming from the mouth of his visitor.

But when he arrived, the hovel was empty.  
Grabbing the mangy blanket that was laid on a straw mattress, the Night Elf gave it to his tiger to sniff.  
"Ash Karath." he whispered to the animal, and the huge cat was gone.

What surprised him was that the guards weren't anywhere in sight, they should have been there by now. Mello made almost all the way back to the castle, running, then changed opinion seeing that there were still no guards in front of the entrance, which meant they were still after the young villager. His saber wasn't back to him either and it was taking quite a long moment.  
The Night Elf didn't have the leisure to think further as a storm of white fur made a half circle around him, leaving the young man just enough time to hop in the saddle before the animal was speeding up again in direction of the forest this time.

The first thing Mello noticed was the smell of blood, and so did the tiger, as he growled lowly.  
Then the voices of the guards. It was too late, they had found the boy.  
Furtively, the Night Elf approached, drowning in the shadows of the trees, to witness the scene.

The redhead had an ankle stuck in a wolf trap, that's where the blood was coming from, and the reason why the guards had caught up with him. The boy was passed out, probably because of the pain, and one of the guards was pulling the security of the trap out of the ground so they could bring their target back to the castle.  
They didn't even bother removing the iron claws off the boy's ankle and he was thrown over the shoulder of one of the men carelessly.

Mello headed back to the castle and waited in his apartments after informing the King that he had found nothing. Varian sent him a dubious look, but he didn't say a word.  
Since when do the best hunters known on Earth fail to find what they're looking for?

Not long after, the guards were back, throwing the boy like a bag of sand at the feet of the King, who was sitting in his throne.  
"The trap stopped him, we just had to pick him up."  
Mello, hearing the movement in the throne room from afar, slid in the corridors, staying out of sight, but with a very good view on the scene.

Landing roughly on the ground seemed to wake up the redhead a bit, and he tried to straighten, barely managing to sit, whimpering of pain.  
"You are accused of molesting Prince Anduin, my son, yesterday afternoon, and of raping Deymen's daughter last night. What do you have to say for your defence?" the King said in a voice that he tried to keep loud and severe, but the sight of the frail villager in front of him made him doubt the accusations: the poor boy would have been unable to rape the vigorous young woman that was Deymen's daughter, she was taller, larger, and could more than certainly defend herself from such a scrawny twig. And so did his son. There was no way Anduin had been defenceless face to this boy.  
"What?! No! I didn't!" Matt opened wide eyes, in total disbelief.  
"Your sandal was found where Mila said you raped her, how did it end up there?" Varian went on with the questioning. He hated that the boy's eyes screamed of innocence, he felt that what he was doing was wrong, but everything was against the redhead so he had to carry on.  
The young villager gave a desperate look at Anduin, who looked away, uneasy. It didn't go unnoticed by the King, who focused his attention on his son, making the latter decide to take action before Matt said anything that could backslap him.  
"Where you in Wollerton's Grove last night or not?" the Prince asked, trying to keep his voice steady.  
"Y-yes... but-"  
"ENOUGH!" Varian shouted suddenly, making everyone start, "Anduin, go to your apartments. Guards, bring Matt to the kitchens and attend to his wound after you removed the trap, then feed him and let him go. Sir Deymen, my intendant will give you a thousand golds and will send a magus to your abode so your daughter can be taken care of. I am sorry for any inconvenience, but the matter is closed and I do not wish to hear about it anymore."

The King was mortified. His son had once again acted as anything but the Prince that he was, and although Anduin was revealing to be a genius in plotting and hurting people, he didn't have the brain to realise when he would give himself away. The young man had named the place where Mila Deymens had been raped, when no one had uttered it once, admitting his guilt.

The father of the dishonoured young woman kept silent, not daring to go against his King, already relieved that things would be taken care of for his daughter, and seduced by the large amount of gold he was about to receive. If he was lucky, no one would ever hear about his daughter's misfortune and once the magus would have rid her of an eventual illegitimate offspring, she would look like new and could be married anyway.  
He retired, bowing several times before following the intendant.

Mello was relieved that the redhead would be freed, even more so that he didn't have to intervene.  
Anduin was in trouble, but it wouldn't be by his words, the Prince had brought his fall upon himself all alone.

Once everyone that didn't belong to the castle, minus the Night Elf who hadn't taken his leave yet and was waiting for Varian to be in a better mood to do so, had left, the heavy steps of the King resounded in the corridors, walking in direction of the Prince's room.  
Mello couldn't hear anything of the father-son conversation from his apartments, but he didn't wish to.  
He had no curiosity, and no malicious delight to hear Anduin get scolded.  
Because it was more than certain that Varian wouldn't do more than scold his son even considering the seriousness of his acts, Mello was sure of that. Anduin hadn't become the despicable being he was by himself, there was an obvious lack of fatherly implication behind such a behaviour.

He could hear voices from time to time, when Varian yelled at his son or Anduin responded crying and opposing, but nothing intelligible, and finally, after two long hours, it was over and Varian's steps resounded again, this time in the opposite direction.

Mello gave him a moment to calm down, and, considering that he had waited enough after an hour of time, he packed and left his apartments, his saber in toe.

"I'm sorry that you had to witness that, I do hope that we will meet under better skies next time." the King tried to smile, but he was still very angry and could barely refrain the frown on his face.  
"Ande'thoras-ethil." The Night Elf simply said, knowing that the Human perfectly understood those words.  
Then he walked out of the castle and jumped on his mount, who speeded out of the capital with a leap.

Mello never relied on his hosts to provide for sustenance while he travelled, and so his bags were almost empty. He had also promised the alchemist of Dolaanar, the village close to where he lived, to find a few plants that were rare in Teldrassil but profuse in Duskwood, so he would hunt a bit while gathering the required herbs before rejoining Stormwind's harbour to take a boat that would finally bring him back to Ruth'Teran, the small village that had a path to Darnassus, the Elf capital in Teldrassil. From there, he'd purchase the few things he needed before going home at last, on the other side of the island, east of Dolaanar, just before Starbreeze village.

He reached the outskirts of Stormwind quickly, and stopped when he started to spot patches of wild steelbloom. Dismounting, he stirred a little knife from his belt and began to cut the plants, filling a bag he had unlaced off the saddle.

Absorbed by his gathering, Mello spent the rest of the day in the forest, and only decided that it was enough for the day when the sun was low in the sky. Not that he was scared of being in the dark, he was a Night Elf after all, but he still needed to hunt for sustenance before the fauna around fell asleep.

Silently, he sought for small preys. He wasn't long to kill enough to fill another of his bags. He would skin and prepare the meat later, he hadn't meant to stay another day here but there would be no ship at this hour and not until the early hours tomorrow morning, so he could only resign to camp around here.

Walking a bit, he found a spot he deemed acceptable to spend the night, and gathered some wood for a fire.  
He was about to light it when the smell of blood came to his nostrils. A known smell.

* * *

 _ **Note:**  
\- Ash Karath : literally "do it", more like "go!" in that case.  
_ _\- Ande'thoras-ethil : "May your troubles be diminished" (a way to say goodbye for elves.)_


	3. Chapter 3

Gesturing his saber tiger to stay still, Mello progressed silently in direction of the ferrous scent. It grew stronger as he approached after a while, quite far from his camp place.  
He heard a faint noise. A whimper...  
He was still at good distance, only his sharp senses giving him indications as to who it was and where it was. Now running, his disguise unnecessary, he headed for the scent and noise.

The Night Elf stopped cold, a body in sight, lying on the ground, trying to crawl. He made sure there was no one around, and finally closed the distance carefully, not to scare the boy.  
The poor villager was a mess. His face was bloody, swollen, purplish bruises appearing all over the uncovered flesh of his body whose clothes had been partly ripped apart, and it's only when Mello tried to readjust him before picking him up that his eyes fell on the horrifying sight of blood along the boy's thighs.  
He didn't need much more informations than the bleeding and the pants pulled down to understand what had been done to the redhead.

The boy, feeling someone near him and hands pulling on his clothes, jumped back despite the pain, falling back on the ground immediately, his legs weak, screaming in fear, eyes trying to see his assailant through swollen lids.  
Mello reached for something in a little purse hung to his belt, and, as fast as lightning, pounced on the boy and stuffed something in his mouth. The other tried to spit it out but the simple contact of the powder on his tongue was enough to drug him, and he fell on the ground for good, passed out.

The Night Elf didn't want to try to convince the boy that he didn't mean harm, he didn't have time for that, and it would erase the pain for a while too, making the boy easier to transport. He picked him up and went back to his camp place, except that it wasn't safe to stay here if the boy's attackers were still around, although he had a pretty good idea of who it was, and that they were not brave enough to wander here at night.  
Not that himself alone couldn't face a bunch of cowards, Elves were stronger than Humans, but he didn't want to be spotted with the villager. It was one thing to help him since he was badly hurt, and another to be associated to a Human.

He secured the redhead on the back of the saber tiger, packed and hopped in the saddle. He stopped on the bank of the river, just after Raven Hill. They would be safe here in the open since no one could approach close enough without leaving the safety of the woods and would appear in full sight, allowing the Night Elf to react soon enough, and there was enough water to clean up the wounds.

It was now fully dark, and by the time Mello lit up a fire, using the wood he had found earlier and that he had packed along the rest, as he didn't know if he'd find some at his next stop, the redhead began to come out of his drug-induced sleep. Mello observed him, sitting on the other side of the fire. He perfectly knew that staying still wouldn't prevent the boy from freaking out: he was hurt, aching, close to a creature of a race that Mello wasn't even sure the villager had seen before, and a huge cat nearby. If the redhead remembered anything of the Elf drugging him, that could even be much worse.

The young man blinked several times, the light of the fire hurting his already beaten eyes, before trying to sit. He rested on his knees, his legs to the side, obviously unable to sit properly due to the pain, and whimpered as he tried to rub his eyelids, apparently forgetting the state they were in.  
He took his surroundings in, his sight accustoming to the contrast between the fire place and the darkness of the night around, and suddenly realised he wasn't alone. The fire itself hadn't given it away, he was much too groggy to acknowledge things correctly, but now, his eyes, although puffy, widened as the first thing he saw was the saber tiger.  
It didn't help that the gigantic mount yawned at that moment, showing long, pearly canines.

The boy was trembling, but his eyes fell next on the Night Elf, and all resolution he had had to runaway disappeared.  
Searching in his shirt, he pulled on a thin leather cord hidden under the garment to reveal a triangle shaped pendant, his eyes not leaving the Elf.  
Mello didn't need to come closer to see what it was. The arrow had been cut right above the metal head and before the tail, the redhead removing the shaft to keep only the point and the fletching, piercing the shortened wood pieces to pull a string through them. If the Elf had any doubt that it was his, the fact that he had seen the boy pick it up, and the yellow and blue feathers of the fletching, that were his personal trademark, confirmed it.

The boy didn't say a word though, still staring at Mello. Fear flared up in his eyes though, when the Elf stood up, and Matt followed his every move as Mello prepared a drink with herbs from a little purse and water from the river.  
The Elf deposited a small beaker at a short distance from the redhead, not wanting to scare him more than he already was, letting the other come the rest of the way to the steamy liquid.

"Matt. Drink." Mello said since the young man hadn't moved, still weary.  
Upon hearing his name, he decided to take the beaker though, but grimaced at the smell.  
"Drink. For the pain." Mello added.  
Matt began to sip the herbal tea, doing his best not to spill it through his swollen and cut lips, wincing as the temperature burnt his wounds. The taste was sweet though, and he drank it all in minutes, the pain effectively disminishing.  
"Thank you." he whispered, staring at the Elf again.  
His mind barely had time to finally register that the other knew his name that he fell into a deep sleep, the beaker falling from his hands, rolling in the dust.  
Mello stood up again, picked up and washed the small container, and, his back against his tiger, decided to get some rest as well. He wasn't used to prepare medicine for weak Humans, and it seems he had had a heavy hand on the redhead's infusion, so the latter would probably sleep for a long moment.

The sun had barely risen that Mello woke up, feeling cold.  
The fire had died down during the night, and his tiger wasn't beside him. No wonder why he found the morning air chilly.  
Standing up, he was about to whistle to call the big cat who had probably gone further away from the camp to relieve himself - although it was rare for the animal to move before his master did – when his eyes took in the sight of the white spotted tiger curled in a half ball, the redhead tucked against the fur between the paws of the mount.  
Frowning more of surprise than displeasure, Mello picked up some items from his bags and went to the river to wash the ingredients. He'd let the boy sleep, he needed rest anyway, while he prepared something to eat.

While he stirred the soup he had made from herbs, meat from the small animals he had hunted the day before, and a few edible roots remaining in his supplies, he glanced from time to time in direction of the sleeping cat and the boy. The beautiful animal was born from his father's and his mother's own mounts, a rare breed of snow sabers, taller and faster than any other feline mount, and had been given to him as a kitten when he was five years old, the age when Night Elves have their totem ceremony.  
It was no surprise when the drood that had totemised his father, and the father of his father before him, gave him the snow saber as a totem. It was one of the strongest totems existing, totally fit for the son of the Supreme Elf in place, son who would succeed him one day and needed to be granted the power of nature through a mighty association of spirits.

He had grown together with the tiger, and as his mother passed away, too early for her time, the animal had been his only companion. His father, although loving, was, just like Elves in general, not demonstrative, and too busy with his duty anyway, since these had been times of war. Mello would barely see his father, who was most of the time away, fighting battles alongside Humans and other races of the Alliance, before himself passed away much too early for an Elf his age.

Being solitary by temper, Mello didn't mingle much with others, and the huge cat had become not only protective of him, but reluctant to let anyone else approach him. Women of the village would often try to pet him, but while he wouldn't harm them, he'd never allow it, withdrawing from hands and putting distance with people, growling.  
It was different with strangers, especially from other races, though. The tiger had almost chopped the head off of a Draeneï when Mello had recently visited Exodar to introduce himself to Velen, prophet of the Draeneï. The male had tried to touch the animal's head, amazed by his beauty, on the ship to Azuremyst, and he was alive only because of Mello's sharp senses. The Elf had acknowledged the smallest change in the aura surrounding the beast standing behind him and although he hadn't given much thought to the Draeneï coming their way, since he didn't think he would be stupid enough to try such a bold move – most people on this earth knew that touching an unknown mount or pet was a mistake -, he had stopped the tiger before the irreparable happened, the gigantic paw hanging half an inch from the other's neck.

So now, seeing the saber tiger sleep so peacefully next to a Human, on his own free will even, since he had moved from his master to the redhead during the night by himself, was unsettling for Mello.  
He wasn't jealous, just surprised. He knew that it wasn't the animal becoming keen on contact with strangers, it had never been, and would never be the temper of such a feral creature, they were loyal to death to their masters and deadly with the rest. The surprise resided much more in what lied in the young man for the beast to take a liking to him. It made things easier though, Mello wouldn't have to force the boy's presence on his mount, and he wouldn't risk getting him hurt by the tiger. Or maybe it was simply the smell of his master on the pieces of arrow that were hanging to the boy's neck, although Mello doubted it.

The redhead stirred, the mount uncurling to give him more room. He started when he saw the huge white paws around him, his eyes rising to meet the beast's, dreading to be eaten any second. When he saw that the animal was far from being threatening, he slowly brought his hand to his cheek.  
Mello held his breath. He knew that the silent vibe he was sending was enough for the saber to stay still, the animal would always obey him, even if displeased, but there was actually no displeasure in the animal's features: he just kept quiet, letting the tip of fingers lightly graze his fur, ever so lightly tilting his head against them, before they fell back in the boy's lap.

Matt smiled. He looked astonished by the animal's presence, but fear was gone. He instinctively looked in direction of the Elf, feeling his gaze on him, his smile vanishing in the process in front of the serious expression of the other.  
Shyly, he looked at his hands in his lap, not knowing what to do. Was it wrong to touch the tiger?

Mello filled a bowl with the soup and walked to the redhead, handing it out to him. He had cut the pieces of meat and roots small enough for them to be easy to eat despite the wounds the boy had to his mouth, and the boy swallowed the content of the bowl fast, obviously hungry.  
"More?" the Elf asked.  
"Yes... please." the other replied, blushing slightly. He felt bad that he was eventually leaning too much on the Elf's kindness toward him. But the soup was good, and he was starving, so he accepted the second serving with a heartfelt thank you.  
When he was done, he went to the river to wash his bowl, his legs a bit wobbly still, but he felt much better. He walked to the Elf to give the bowl back, averting his eyes in respect, not wanting to stare. People always told him he stared too much...  
Mello took the small container without a word and poured a beige power in it, half filling it.

Matt felt intimidated, standing face to the taller Elf as Mello stood up.  
He had seen some when he had wandered on the docks to fish. Debarking from the shuttle between Rut'Theran and Stormwind, tall, lean creatures with pointy ears, most of the time long hair in colours unseen in the Human race, with or without their mounts – none as big as the one now lightly snoring, sprawled on the ground though – and although this one Elf was not as imposing as those he had seen before, he was still taller than him and a lot more muscular as well.  
To be honest, he had mistaken him for a female at first, in the fire light, because of his fine traits, long fingers, and the grace of his moves.  
But now in daylight, Matt could see that the Elf was very much male, and very much scary. Not scary as in needing to run away from him, the redhead might not have been the smartest boy in the village, he could still fathom that if he was still alive, and moreover taken care of, then he shouldn't fear for his life. Which was miserable anyway, so if he was to die from the hand of the Elf, at least he would have had a good rest and his stomach was full, which was not that bad for a last favour.

It was more akin to being afraid to make a mistake. Matt always made mistakes, got on people's nerves, broke things and overall messed it up a lot. People said it was because he was not right in the head, which was probably true. He always did his best but still, people would end up angry. He never quite knew what he did wrong, he was probably too much of an idiot. That's what everyone that knew him in Stormwind said so it was certainly the truth.  
It was only a matter of time before the Elf noticed that he was indeed as stupid as can be and grew tired of helping. Why was he helping anyway?

"I... Thank you for everything." he whispered, his voice unable to come out louder, his stomach tied in a knot, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.  
"Come with me." the other simply replied.  
"How do you know my name?" the redhead dared to ask as the Elf walked ahead of him in direction of the river.  
"I heard at the castle." Mello replied. His knowledge of the Human language was not perfect but it was enough to speak with the race. All Elves were taught the Alliance's languages when young.  
"Oh."

Mello stopped by a rocky area, added water to the saponaria powder in the bowl, and stirred the mixture with his fingers, before rinsing them in the river.  
"To wash you and clothes." he said, handing out the bowl to Matt, who took it, this time looking at the Elf.  
His eyes dropped to his feet, his face turning bright red. To his relief, the Elf turned around and went back to the camp.

Hiding behind the rocks, the redhead undressed, and carefully cleaned himself. He had to scrub the blood off his thighs, wincing at the bruises appearing on the skin once the red stains were gone. Thinking back of what had happened to him, tears started to fill his eyes. Why had they done that to him? Did he deserve it? He wasn't sure, but he had probably done something really bad. Well, he knew that liking men was bad, but he hadn't done anything with men for a long time, he had stopped when he had been told it was wrong. He had thought for a moment that if the Prince himself liked men, then maybe things had changed... it was the Prince after all. Matt had really believed that the Prince was kind. Anduin had said so many nice things, he had even given him treats once, but then... the latest events had been terrible, and Matt was mad at himself that he hadn't just stuck with what he had been told before. The Prince had been right to test him, since Matt had failed. He knew it, but still, he fell in the trap. It was wrong to like men, he knew it!  
Ah, he deserved that, after all, crying over it was useless, he could only blame himself.

When both his parents had passed away, Matt was fourteen and old enough to be on his own, but being the simple mind that he was, no one wanted to give him work to do since he was way too clumsy and cost more than his work was worth of, and he could sustain himself anyway, he just needed to fish and pick up what nature had to offer, he didn't have much, but he ate almost everyday. But then, a lord that apparently possessed the lands where his parents' house had been built asked for a land tax, and Matt didn't have a single coin to give. He had never touched a real gold, not even a copper or a silver, and the lord wanted 2 of them!

The first four months, the lord paid himself on the boy's body. The older man was not ugly, and Matt thought that he liked him. That's when he realised that he liked men better than women, because he had never quite understood why boys his age were so keen on trying to see the village girls naked when they bathed in the river. That was at least something that made sense to him, among the general cluelessness he had about life.  
But when the man grew tired of sexual favours and asked for money again, Matt was at loss. The lord, probably while inebriated at the local tavern, told too much and, the word spreading, men, mostly old enough to be the boy's father – sailors, villagers, farmers, even some nobles - showed up sometimes at the house after that, tossing a coin to the redhead in exchange of the act.  
Matt didn't think much of it, those men made him feel good, or at least none of them hurt him and if not a coin, the poorest of them sometimes gave food, clothes, or even just a tale of faraway lands, that the redhead loved to hear.  
But the lord, hearing what was happening on his lands, threw Matt out of the house, burnt it, and threatened him of denunciating him to the King if he ever saw the boy on his lands again.  
That's when Matt learnt that it was not right to sell sex for money. He didn't know why, but he wouldn't dare to do it again if it was wrong.  
He ended up in that hovel at the border of the woods, an abandoned shack with a roof that could barely stop the rain. No one ever came here, he was peaceful there, and resumed fishing and picking up plants and roots for sustenance.

As he grew older, Matt understood from hearing people talk that it was not only bad to sell sex, men that liked men were regarded as an aberration, and since he was often told he was not right in the head, he understood that it was one more thing that was wrong with himself.

But then he encountered Prince Anduin one day, at the market. Matt was trying to sell some fish because he needed to buy supplies that he couldn't make himself of find for free, and as he was packing up, having sold everything, he had bumped into the Prince, that he hadn't seen standing behind his back, courting a young lady at the next stall.  
Matt had profusely apologised, but the Prince had demanded reparation, claiming that the fish stench had ruined his expensive clothing. As Anduin was already scheming to punish the redhead, he noticed the boy staring at him in awe. The Prince was good looking enough, and Matt couldn't help but stare at him. He hadn't even realise he was staring anyway.  
Anduin somehow got the feeling that he could have some fun with the boy when one of his acolytes told to his ear that Matt was not exactly known for his intelligence, and after a few small pranks that the kind boy excused, not understanding that he was being made fun of by the Prince and his friends, Anduin realised that Matt's behaviour was one of a person attracted to him. That's when he decided to take things up a notch, wanting to confirm what he suspected. He had started to play with the boy's feelings, coercing him into admitting them, and then had wanted to involve his little crowd of admirers in the prank, the day Mello had seen everything from his room's window.

Matt hadn't seen the arrow being shot, but he had found it. It was beautiful, much more elaborated than Human arrows, with beautiful feathers on the fletching, and he had had a weird sensation as he picked it up from the ground. That's why he had kept it, he was sure that the item was magical, and it might even bring him luck.  
To be able to carry it with him, he had made a necklace out of it.

Everything went so fast after that: he had run away out of fear, then Prince Anduin had fetched him at night and... He didn't like Matt that way, this the redhead understood, but why did he have to show him that way? And the girl? She didn't seem to be happy about what happened...  
Matt really hoped she was fine. Maybe he could try to find her house to see for himself, and bring her some flowers from the forest? His mother liked when his father brought flowers, it always made her smile widely...

Tears of sadness mixed with tears of pain though, when he washed his ankle. The wolf trap had made quite the damage. He had run away once more because guards were suddenly after him, he didn't know why but he was scared that someone had finally told about him liking men. It was wrong, and they would probably hang him for that.  
But then the Prince hadn't helped him, hadn't told the truth, and Matt had realised how wrong he was about Anduin. He still had a hard time believing that someone could be that mean, there had to be an explanation, but he was too stupid to know of one, of course...  
He was relieved to be freed though, and had gone in the forest to find herbs to treat the wound to his ankle. After that... all he could remember was the pain, the punches and the kicks, and something as hard as wood being shoved up his ass, something way too big and... they had forced it into him again and again despite his cries. The more he cried, the more they laughed. One of them was Deymen's son, he had recognised him, and the others were probably his friends. Prince Anduin's friends.  
Oh, how stupid he had been... he should have known better. Yes, he deserved it, but still, it hurt a lot. He wasn't sure if the physical pain was worse than the dull ache of anger against himself building inside of him. He was so mad at himself for being so retarded...

Mello smelled the tears as he was coming closer to the rocks. Frowning, he deposited a blanket on a rock, his eyes locking for a brief instant with the blushing redhead who had quickly immersed himself to the waist in the river.  
He then went back to the camp to sort out and start to dry the plants by the fire.  
He had initially planned to leave by the first shuttle to Rut'Theran early in the morning, and take care of the plants once he'd had arrived home in Starbreeze, but seeing as he had no idea when he'd leave now, he'd better take care of his small harvest before the plants rotted.

Matt made sure the Elf wasn't there anymore before standing again.  
Pulling the sting over his head, he deposited the self made ornament on a rock to avoid wetting it, and continued washing himself up to his hair. He was used to pick up saponaria to clean himself, reducing the fresh root to a pulp, but he had never used it dry in powder form, and he liked the smell very much. There had to be some spearmint into the mix if he trusted his sense of smell. It was cool on his wounds, and after rinsing himself, he felt a lot better, his wounds didn't hurt as much anymore.  
He then proceeded to wash his clothes, leaving them to dry in the sun on the rock, wrapping himself in the blanket before joining the Elf again shyly, sitting back close to the fire.


	4. Chapter 4

Matt observed as Mello placed part of the plants on a rack he had made with branches, next to the fire. Soon, the scent of steelbloom filled the air, a light smoke rising in the sky.  
Once he was done, he sat on the ground, making sure he was on the other side of the fire where Matt was sitting as well, not wanting to make him uncomfortable, since the redhead seemed to be shy in his presence.

Matt didn't know what he was supposed to do. Should he leave when his clothes would be dry? Did the Elf expect something from him?  
"Thank you for everything you've done for me." he said, trying to start a conversation.  
The other spared him a look, but focused back on the pile of leaves in front of him, removing the yellow ones.  
Matt fidgeted with the hem of the blanket. He was feeling, really, really awkward.  
"What's your name?" he decided to ask. After all, the Elf knew his name so it wasn't weird to ask, right?  
"Mello."  
But it would be obviously hard to have an actual conversation with the Night Elf...  
Mello wasn't a talker. He didn't mind the question, he just had nothing to say. He knew what he had to know, and more, about the redhead anyway.  
Time passed, the silence barely disturbed by the mount's yawns and scratching, the fire cracking sometimes, and the gentle, regular lapping of the river shore.

At some point, Matt stood up to fetch his clothes, now dry, and, after he had put them on, trying to arrange the tears in them the best he could, hidden behind the rocks, he neatly folded the blanket and gave it back to Mello, who stuffed it into one of his bags.  
"Do you want me to leave now?" the redhead asked, still clueless.  
Mello stood up, throwing the pile of yellow leaves in the fire, creating a little firework in the process.  
"You stay here, you are not safe."  
"It will be fine, they punished me because what I did was wrong, it is fine now." Matt replied. They had no reason to harm him again, they had given him a lesson, and he had learnt it very well, he would never do the same mistake again.  
Mello frowned.  
"It is not punishment, it is cruelty." he said, dumbfounded that the boy thought it was his own fault. And even more that he thought they would stop at that. Mello was convinced of the opposite, the Prince had revealed to be the most despicable being possible, and the Elf was perfectly aware that he might do even worse than assaulting the redhead in such an abject way.

He had seen the bloody shovel shaft near the Human when he had found him. Of course Anduin's friends wouldn't touch Matt with their own bodies, as they were attacking the boy for what they considered a vice, and it was apparent that they had wanted to relate the act to what they rejected, assaulting that part of Matt's body specifically, probably after beating him enough so he wouldn't resist.  
Anduin might not have done it himself, but the smell residing in the forest around the boy when he had found him gave away the identity of the assailants, which were more than certainly there on order of Anduin himself. They were unlikely to do something without being instructed to by the Prince.

Anduin also had taken the purity of an untouched woman casually, in front of witnesses no less, which in terms of Elf tradition was similar to spitting in the Goddess' face, a barbarian act that only deserved death, or at best castration. Mello had his opinion made about Anduin even before he came to Stormwind, but he had realised he was very far from the atrocious truth.

He wouldn't say more to Matt though. It wasn't his role to solve the situation. He couldn't leave the Human in distress in the forest, not in such a wolves infested area with the clear scent of blood on him, and he would help get him back on his feet, but that stopped at that. Night Elves and Humans had no business together at times of peace.

He was also not fluent in the Human language. He understood it, and what he didn't get, he guessed from context, just as he had done when talking political matters with Varian, but he wouldn't go through the hassle of trying to explain how wrong Matt's reasoning was to the boy with how limited his speech would be in the foreign language.

"You don't understand, I did something really bad..." Matt tried to explain, but the Night Elf lost a bit of his patience.  
"You stay here." Mello said, leaving no room for discussion, "I need more plants. Feed the fire. Eat when you are hungry." He pointed at the rest of the soup in a container on the ground.  
On that, he took a small bag, and gave a look to his tiger.  
The animal walked to Matt, all at once stopping him from taking the step he was about to take to follow Mello, and pushing him back to the fireplace. Resigned, Matt sat back, looking at Mello disappearing into the woods.

Mello always carried a bit of medicine with him while he travelled, but he hadn't planned on needing all of his supplies, so while he had to stay longer here, he'd pick up more sedatives for the Human.  
He would have to be careful though, because fresh leaves would be a lot stronger than using them dry, and the dosage for an Elf was apparently a lot different than for a weakling like Matt, and while he had only slept longer last night, Mello could kill him if he wasn't careful this time.

He was a gatherer, he knew herbalism quite well, his mother had taught him and experience had done the rest, and although he didn't have the specialisation that the drood of his village had in that area, he could still pretty much recognize every plant, and knew how to use it.  
He'd usually have small supplies of basic plants ready for use at home, for himself, but he would leave the more intricate treatments to the drood, and would bring him plants from other regions when he travelled. He had never gone as far from his homeland as now, though.

Looking at the sun, Mello decided to go back to the camp. The drying plants should be ready by now, and he had been gone for at least five hours. While he trusted his saber tiger completely, he didn't want to be away much longer now that he had enough of what he had been picking.  
He found the redhead sitting near the fire, that he had taken care of as instructed, the tiger lying next to him.  
The animal rose his head at the sight of his master, but didn't move.

Mello started to remove the plants from the rack, when Matt stood up to help. He did his best to hide the fact that he was in pain, but the Night Elf wasn't fooled.  
"Sit." he said in a tone that Matt took as a command, obeying right away. He wanted to avoid making the Elf angry.  
Mello finished what he was doing, stuffing the plants in a bag, breaking the rack in pieces and throwing them in the fire, then prepared the pain relief for the redhead.  
He used very little of the herb he had gathered, as a trial dose.  
"Drink."  
Matt took the beaker from Mello's hands, emptying it quickly. His ankle was throbbing, but soon it became bearable.  
"Better?" Mello asked, wanting to know if he had to adjust the dosage.  
"Yes, thank you very much." the boy replied, smiling shyly before looking down.

The Night Elf then started to crush some other leaves in a bowl, making a paste with them. He rummaged in his bags and pulled out a piece of fabric that he tore in bands.  
"Show me." he asked the redhead, pointing at his ankle.  
Matt complied, uneasy, but he wouldn't dare to oppose the tall creature.

Mello began to unwrap the bandage that Matt had received at the castle. The boy hadn't dared to remove it when he had bathed in the morning, too afraid to do more damage, but now it was stuck in the wound, and it looked pretty bad.  
Matt winced as the Elf pulled carefully on the fabric, freeing the injury little by little. The wolf trap had cut the skin badly but fortunately the bone wasn't touched.  
Mello took the bowl at his side and, plunging his hand in the gooey substance, he spread it all over the wound before wrapping it in clean linen. Matt felt the pain decrease almost instantly.  
"Thank you Mello."

The Night Elf looked at him, but didn't reply. He went to the river to wash his hands and the bowl, then proceeded to heat the rest of the soup. The amount was still the same as in the morning.  
"You ate?" he asked Matt, who shook his head.  
"What would you eat if I ate it? I mean, it's yours..." the boy blushed, looking at his hands in his lap.  
"I take care of me." Mello muttered. What did this Human think? That he couldn't sustain himself? The forest was full of edible plants, had he been hungry while gathering.  
Sharing the remaining soup in two bowls, Mello handed one to Matt, who tried to refrain his tears as he took it, mortified that he might have said something inappropriate. The Night Elf seemed to be... not quite angry, but annoyed, and Matt mentally beat himself up for being such an idiot.  
Mello smelled the tears, even unshed. The salty scent surprised him: was the boy in pain?  
"It hurts?" he asked, already searching for the painkiller plants in his bag.  
"No." Matt replied, the Night Elf's hands leaving the remedy aside.  
Mello stared at him for a few seconds, not quite knowing why the Human wanted to cry if he wasn't in pain.

Suddenly, the tiger growled, low at first, until it became a loud roar in direction of the forest. The animal's fur was standing up, and he was clearly in defensive mode.  
Mello didn't seem to be alarmed, he simply went to the river and washed the empty bowls, packed everything into his bags, and attached them to his mount's saddle once he had equipped the animal.  
Matt, on the other hand, had stood and was looking from the tiger to the Night Elf with anxiety. He couldn't see or smell what was making the tiger angry, and didn't understand why Mello was so calm.  
The latter, seeing his distress as he was done with his bags, explained:  
"Wolves."  
Matt opened wide eyes. The Elf was ready to leave, but himself would have to go all the way back through Elwynn Forest to his shack, with a big risk of finding wolves on his way. Well, it was always a risk, but now it was more a certainty.

Mello hadn't planned on leaving now, he wasn't keen on travelling by night and would have preferred to spend a second night here and just leave early the next morning, the Human probably good to go by himself by then, but with the Human around, he wouldn't stay here if there were wolves coming close, and he had no wish to find a safer place to camp just for one night. Elwynn Forest was full of wolves, but they would usually avoid camps because of fire, except when they would smell preys. And Matt's wounds probably had an enticing scent for the predators.  
Mello could protect him, his saber could as well, but if he had to have an agitated night, he'd have it preferably because of being on the road, not because he was wasting time in Human territory.

Splashing water on the fire, Mello slid the bowl he had in hand back in a bag attached to the saddle.  
"Come." he said to the boy standing a few feet away, hopping in the saddle, waiting for the redhead to approach.  
Matt looked at him, timidly walking to him, repressing a yelp as he was swept off his feet, landing in front of Mello in the saddle. It was lucky he was still under painkiller infusion because his rear was still really sensitive.  
He was really thankful that the Elf would help him cross the forest, but he didn't say a word, not daring to risk meeting only silence as an answer, or say something stupid that would make Mello angry.

The tiger strode in a slow step until he reached the border of the forest. Matt had his hands on the pommel of the saddle, a little surprised that there were no reins, wondering how the Elf gave directions. He started as he felt a strong arm hold him firmly all of a sudden, as the mount picked up a rapid pace, running in a grazing way between the trees.

The villager started to recognise the surroundings of his shack, but when the mount stopped, all he could do was open his mouth in disbelief, shock preventing any sound from falling out of it: the hovel was now only a pile of ashes on the ground. Sliding off the tiger, he ran to what once was his home, only to see that everything had been burnt, even the few belongings he had inside. He didn't care much for the poor straw mattress or the mangy blanket, but his fishing material was gone, and it was all he had left from his father.  
Frantically digging with his hands in the dirt, he tried to find something, anything that wouldn't have burnt, but he couldn't find the smallest hook in the ashes. Just an old, rusty tin, blackened by the fire.  
On his knees, he began to cry. It was all gone. The fishing rod that was even older than he was, the collection of hooks his father had crafted with his own hands. Even his mother's bracelet, that he kept well hidden in the tin, under the mattress, it was just ashes in the ashes, the small colourful wooden beads reduced to crisps.

"Come." Mello said. He hadn't left the back of his tiger.  
He had no idea what to do with the Human. He didn't want to get involved, but he was angry. He was well aware that Human laws were not his laws, and that what Night Elves saw as a choice of nature, Humans saw as a vice, but he couldn't help thinking Humans were wrong. It was not just different customs, but lack of respect for something bigger. And the boy had no malice in him, it was obvious. He was not intelligent, but he didn't deserve the treatments he was receiving. He was merely used as Anduin's toy, and someday, that brat would need to repent for his sins.  
Mello trusted the Gods for that, he was no one, to take action in their favour.  
But he would go against them if he let nature be flouted this way. Anduin might as well take the boy's life someday and that would be his own fault if Mello let that happen, with the knowledge he had of the current situation.

As tempted as he was to tell Varian about all of this, he didn't deem this useful. Varian Wrynn was no King if he couldn't rule over the closest of his subjects.  
He pulled the boy back in the saddle, holding him firmly as he made the mount turn around, back into the forest.

Mello could feel the redhead's distress. With his arm around his waist, holding the boy against him so he wouldn't fall while riding, he couldn't miss the sobs shaking his frail frame.  
While he rarely gave into his own negative feelings, he could still feel some empathy for the Human. It wasn't a weakness to cry when you had lost everything and people were so much against you that they went to such extents.  
The Night Elf was at loss for what to do now, though. First, he would get away from the wreckage, in hopes that it would alleviate the boy's pain.

Stopping by a small water stream, Mello dismounted, helping Matt down as well.  
Not wanting to light a fire, Mello prepared a quick mix of calming herbs with cold water while the redhead washed his hands and face, ashamed that he had cried in front of the Elf.  
"Drink."  
Matt took the beaker and downed the whole content. It was bitter, but he didn't care at that point.  
Putting everything back into a saddle bag, Mello turned to the Human:  
"Where do you go now?"  
Matt looked at him, not quite understanding.  
"I... don't know?" he stuttered.  
"Parents?" Mello could see that the Human was old enough not to live with his parents anymore, and he lived alone in a hovel so there was few chances that he had family, or that, if he had, they wanted him, but still, he had no idea what to do with him so he had to ask.  
"They are dead." Matt spoke while looking at his feet. He was very uneasy with the questioning and didn't know why the Elf was asking, so he was wary of his answers.  
"No family?"  
"No..."  
"So where do you go now?" Mello pressed on.  
"I'm sorry... I don't know. I..." Matt was about to say that he had nowhere to go, but it was a pitiful thing to say, and he refrained. He could probably find a place to stay somewhere, and he could feed himself with hand fishing and plants, he would even be able to make a fishing rod and he could carve a small hook in a piece of wood, it wasn't the best, but it would be enough for now. Oh, but he didn't even have his little knife anymore...  
"I'll make it, I'm fine." he tried to smile.  
"You do not stay here. Not safe." Mello wasn't stupid, he could see the boy and his twisted reasoning coming from miles away, "You need to live somewhere else."  
"Yes, don't worry, I can go wherever I want, I will be fine." Matt insisted.  
"Come. I leave you at the docks, you take a ship."  
Matt didn't oppose. He was afraid to anger the Elf, and he could always wait for Mello to leave the docks, and then he would go back somewhere around Stormwind, and go on with his life.

As the capital came in sight, the tiger started running even faster, crossing the city in no time, Mello avoiding the more frequented areas to reach the docks. He would have preferred to circle around Stormwind through the forest but there was no way to reach the docks other than through the Human city. It was late in the day though, so fortunately, the streets were almost empty, everyone either still in the crops or enjoying dinner at home.

Dusk was starting to fall on the sea when they reached the harbour. The back of the shuttle to Rut'Theran was a small point leaving in the horizon, telling Mello that he would have to wait for the next, which would take some time. He wasn't happy about it, people on the docks already starting to eye him and the Human questioningly. Mello dismounted, helping Matt do the same.  
"The ship to Valiance Keep leaves from there. I will take that one." the redhead pointed at another part of the dock a little further.  
Mello raised an eyebrow, not quite sure that it was the best destination for the Human. It was a cold region, life was hard there, and the boy didn't seem to be fit for it. But it was the boy's choice, he had no say in it, the Gods would protect him.

"Thank you for everything you have done for me, I wish I could repay you, but when we meet again someday, I will, I promise."

The ship was in sight as he spoke, still a point faraway, but he would be there in minutes, so, before turning around and walking away to the shuttle, Matt bowed slightly in front of Mello. He would work hard from now on, because for some reason, he knew he would meet the Elf again, and that day, he would be able to repay him and keep his word.  
Mello noted the 'when' instead of 'if', and the Human's certitude unsettled him.  
"I wait with you." the Elf said. He wanted to make sure the boy left for good before himself took the shuttle to Rut'Theran, then his duty would end there.

Minutes passed in silence, Matt realising that he would really have to take the ship to Valiance Keep.  
The shuttle finally landed after a while.  
Mello was about to say his own goodbyes, when something a little further caught his attention. Squinting his eyes, he saw Varian, Anduin and two guards come their way.  
Scowling, Mello realised that their arrival at the docks hadn't escaped notice, and that someone had informed the King. He could have put Matt on the ship and stopped anyone approaching from getting at him, but the redhead's destination was now known, and Mello sensed that he wouldn't be safe in Valiance Keep either now.  
The King himself would not harm the boy, that Mello knew, but Anduin was unpredictable, and if they had come here, they had a good reason, it wasn't just an evening walk.

"Mello." Varian said when he was close enough, "I was informed that you had been seen with the son of the old Jack. Anduin told me that he was likely to try to take advantage of you, and I wanted to be sure you were fine, since I thought you were back to Starbreeze already."  
The Night Elf frowned of displeasure.  
"I am not a child, and I am Supreme Elf, I do not need supervision." he tried to stay polite, but his eyes fell on Anduin, who was sporting a very satisfied smirk that disappeared at the sight of the scowl on the Night Elf's face. Mello knew that the King saw in him the son of the Supreme Elf he had known as a friend, and Mello was on Human territory so it was most certainly a brash way to remind Varian of his rank, but it was also very unwelcome from the King to imply that a mere Human villager could represent a threat to the Night Elf.  
Varian Wrynn clearly understood where the reply was coming from. Night Elves were proud creatures so it was a given that Mello wouldn't appreciate the intrusion in his affairs as a simple concern from the King, but there was more to the biting tone: Mello, just like his father before him, had a very apparent disdain for the Prince. Varian was no fool, he perfectly knew the reason why, but this young Elf was showing a lack of respect for himself as his elder and this really stung his pride.  
"You are still on my lands, Mello, so I consider it my duty, and my right, to see for your safety. I demand to know why you have associated with this boy."

For an instant, Mello considered the option of telling the whole story to Varian, but as tempting as it was to finally put Anduin in front of his responsibilities, it was a certainty that the Prince would never assume them, and the Elf was reluctant to subject Matt to a public description of what he had had to endure.  
The boy had to face an atrocious assault, and had lost everything, but he could still have his pride. Anduin wouldn't have the pleasure to see that his actions had ruined a life.  
It wasn't an option to put Varian back at his place again either, even if Mello's skin was crawling with anger right now.

The Night Elf had no doubts that the Human was sincere when he had said he would repay him, and as much as he hated doing that, and although he didn't care for payback, he decided to turn Matt's words against him. It was the only way to get out of this mess without making a fuss anyway.  
"This Human has a debt with me, I take him with me to Teldrassil. He works for me now."

Mello hopped on his mount, refraining to swipe Matt off his feet, helping him climb in front of him instead. He gave a long, dark look to Anduin, who was slightly hiding behind his father, wary.  
The shuttle to Rut'Theran was accosting, and the Night Elf directed his tiger to the deck, stopping and facing both King and Prince as he waited for the ship to sail away, defying any of them to go against his actions.  
Varian stayed silent, none of the Elf and the Human rulers saying their goodbyes this time. The frail boy Mello was taking with him might be sitting in front of the Night Elf, the Human King perfectly saw Mello's hand grazing the part of his bow, which was attached in his back, that was hanging down his side.  
The Humans would all have an arrow in the heart even before they came close enough to touch him, should they decide to take action, and Varian Wrynn knew it.

At least, the boy was off Anduin's hands, he sighed to himself, as the shuttle finally reached the high sea. Another poor soul would be next, but what could he do?


	5. Chapter 5

_**Note:** Shorter chapter, but I finally decided to cut it there to have it focus on the travel part only, and also descriptive enough so the journey seems long since it's supposed to be 2 days long :)_

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The night had fallen completely, the limit between sea and sky melting, as the ship sailed smoothly to Rut'Theran.  
Matt had contemplated Stormwind as they left, the capital getting smaller as the vessel reached deep waters. Then he simply watched in awe the little waves splashing on the wooden sides of the ship, and the sun disappearing completely into the horizon, before sitting next to Mello as he was now unable to see anything but his travel companion and the huge tiger laying at his side, in the dim light of the deck.  
He had never been on a boat, he had never even left Stormwind, so it was all new to him, and even his anxiety couldn't prevent the redhead to observe everything and want to see all there was to see.

Mello kept silent, not exactly happy with the turn of events. He had no idea what he would do with the Human. Those were useless creatures, and even if he had really planned to have Matt work for him, there wasn't much the boy could do. He was frail, probably extremely fragile, even on Human standards, and everything about him living in Elven lands was wrong. Mello didn't even have work to give him, actually, whatever it was.  
But he had made a decision, and the Human wouldn't have to pay for the Night Elf's lack of insight. It wasn't even a decision, actually, Mello thought. More an emergency solution to a problem. So it was useless to put much thought into it now that it was done, better deal with things as they came. And at least, this Human wasn't as annoying as most Mello knew.

Matt shivered as the chilly night air enveloped him. Mello stirred the blanket from the saddle bag and handed it out to the redhead, motioning him to follow him inside of the ship's common cabin. It was empty, the Human and the Night Elf being the only people on board minus the crew.  
"What about you?" Matt asked, feeling a bit guilty to take the only blanket Mello seemed to have.  
Not replying, the Night Elf sat back on the wooden floor, snuggling against the side of the saber who had sprawled against a wall, gesturing to the remaining space between himself and the mount's shoulder for Matt to lie down as well. The redhead obeyed, but he couldn't find sleep.

He couldn't say he was sad to leave Stormwind, because he was really excited to travel. Of course, the capital was all he had known until now, and he was used to his life there, so the change would be quite radical. But now, he was... not scared, just anxious, mostly that he would mess things up. He had no idea what kind of life Elves lived, their customs, what he should or shouldn't do... he didn't like not knowing, because even when he tried to do good, he always managed to make the wrong decision. He was just that stupid.  
What did Mello want from him, actually? What kind of work would he make him do? Matt was not particularly skilled, except for fishing, and at least he knew that Night Elves were one with nature, so it was unlikely that Mello couldn't fish for himself.

Matt was also impatient to see what Elven lands looked like. Was it like in the stories he had heard? Was it true that there were animals so exotic that it was almost impossible to describe them? One of his clients had told tales of colourful landscapes, Human forests pale in comparison of the lush woods in Teldrassil.  
The redhead had imagined everything times and times again, dreamt of walking paths through secular trees and picking heady scented flowers, fishing in waters so clear that he could see the bottom of lakes... the dreams had been so vivid, and he could perfectly imagine Mello in that scenery, it just fit.  
The Night Elf was sleeping, his chest rising and falling at a regular rhythm, and Matt, although a bit uneasy, couldn't help but stare at him.

He had seen a few Night Elves, even Draeneïs, Dwarves or Gnomes, Stormwind was a center of exchange and the docks were busy with freight and merchants, and he liked to observe from afar, eager for a story told between sailors, for the thrill of hearing languages he didn't understand, the mere sound of a foreign accent sending his imagination in action, but he had never seen a creature that wasn't Human from so close.  
The Elves he had seen had been taller, their skin going from purple to all shades of blue, but the common factor was this serious expression Mello always had on his face.  
Draeneïs seemed calm and friendly, Dwarves and Gnomes feisty and loud, but Night Elves, always serious and distant.  
That made them, and Mello, all the more impressive.

Matt studied the pointy ears, the angular jaw, the thin nose, the lips more relaxed as Mello slept. The long, blond hair, fine and silky, complimenting the pale, lightly golden skin. The Night Elf's fingers were long and delicate, but his calloused hands looked strong nonetheless, and, his eyes roaming from wrist to shoulder, Matt thought that it was probably nice to have strength. Himself had none, his mother had told him that he was born one month too early and that it was the reason he hadn't grown much, and had a petite stature.

Thoughts of his mother invading his head lulled Matt, who began to doze off. He was about to drift to a deep sleep when he started awake, a vision clear in his mind. Blinking several times, coming back to his senses as he fully woke up, he looked around, taking his surroundings in and remembering where he was. Mello was still sleeping, as well as the huge cat. Only a strange feeling lingered as the redhead tried to go back to sleep, one of peace and calm, opposed to his sudden start. It was more the vivid image that had awoken him, as he had felt like he was really standing in from of the house that had appeared in his dreams, but for some reason, now he felt safe and content. Putting that strange impression on account of being tired and confused with the sudden departure from Stormwind, Matt went back to sleep, this time succeeding in resting for good.

When Mello woke up, it took him a few seconds to come back to reality: the feel of his mount's fur against his back, the hard wood of the floor... and a blanket over him. Sitting up, he spotted Matt through the opening of the common cabin, his elbows on the guardrail, looking in front of him.  
Mello stood up, folded the blanket and put it back in the saddle bag, grabbed a few bits of dried meat and fruits and walked out of the cabin.  
"Matt." he simply said, handing out food to the boy who had just turned around upon hearing his name.  
"Thank you." the redhead said before taking a bite, focusing back on the sight. The island was still far, but the outline started to appear in a distant mist, "Is it Rut'Theran?"  
"Yes." Mello replied, munching on his own food.  
"I never left Stormwind." Matt sighed, his imagination once again wandering.  
"Teldrassil is very different."  
Matt smiled. He wanted it to be different anyway, so he liked the statement.

Mello was about to tell Matt that he didn't have to follow him to Teldrassil, that he could go wherever he wanted, that he was free from any engagement, but that smile stopped him.  
The facial expression of the Human's happiness ignited a pride inside of the Night Elf's stomach: Matt was about to see his native land, the marvel that was Teldrassil, so much unlike Stormwind and his stench, noise and lack of respect for nature. And the boy seemed to enjoy the thought of seeing it with his own eyes.  
Mello was suddenly eager to arrive.

Matt would be able to travel to any place from Rut'Theran though, there was a flight path to many destinations. But for some reason, since he had brought the Human here, Mello felt in charge of him. It would have been different if Matt had left for Valiance Keep, but here in Elven lands, if something went wrong, be it the redhead getting hurt or killed, or doing wrong with his acts, Mello would be responsible because he had brought the Human here, one that had no idea how to live here moreover.  
Yes, there were humans and other races coming to Teldrassil, some even stayed quite long in inns of Elven cities and villages, but Matt had no means to pay for such a stay, so things were pretty much set as they were.

The morning passed slowly, the island becoming more apparent as the fog had lifted, Matt still staring at the landscape. The ship finally reached the small dock, and Mello pulled the redhead from the ground in front of him on the saddle, not wasting time to cross the portal to Darnassus, the Elven capital.  
"What was that?" Matt asked as they entered the city in a split second, when they had barely just disembarked from the shuttle.  
"A magical portal, it saves time."  
"Oh." Matt had never seen anything like that, but he was fascinated by all the tales he had heard about magic anything, and he was happy that he had experienced that.

Matt didn't know where to look as the tiger strode through Darnassus. It was smaller than Stormwind, and the style of constructions was different, but it was also a lot more beautiful. Somehow, the majesty of the huge white building they came across as they headed for the city's exit fit with the impression he had of Elves: sober but tasteful, majestic and intimidating.  
The redhead didn't see much though, as the animal was fast, not leaving much leisure to sightsee. Him and Mello were already on a path through the woods just outside of the capital, fifteen minutes later.

The more they advanced, the more Matt realised that everything was exactly as he had imagined and dreamt of. Except that the reality made everything even more fascinating. The trees were huge, making the forest dark but at the same time less frightening than Elwynn Forest, because of the beautiful colours and the peaceful, quiet atmosphere. The flowers were striking, the few animals Matt had spotted – owls, deer, wolves – not much different than what he knew though, but they seemed less aggressive, maybe because of the purer aura surrounding everything.

Matt got used to the regular rocking of the mount's steps, holding the pommel of the saddle for support so he wouldn't bump into Mello each time the tiger pounced forward as he avoided big rocks and invading tree roots.  
He was slightly uneasy being so close to the Elf but the other didn't seem to think much of it, so he relaxed. Mello seemed to say it when he didn't like something, so he would have said it already, the redhead thought, reassuring himself.

After what seemed like a couple hours, Matt seeing the sun's position changed compared to the morning when they had exited Darnassus, the light hardly coming through the dense forest, Mello stopped the animal and dismounted, the Human following.  
Mello didn't have much supplies left but it would be enough for a quick lunch, and he would hunt a bit before setting camp for the night. He would have reached Dolaanar by the time the sun set, had he been alone, but with a second passenger, the saber was slower, and Mello didn't want to push the animal beyond his limits. Matt wasn't heavy but the mount still needed more rest than usual so they would just camp in the forest for the night and leave early in the morning. They would be near Starbreeze, next to where Mello lived, at the end of the second day.

Matt's anxiety came back as Mello began to prepare some painkiller infusion after he had lit up a fire, not knowing if he should do something to help. Maybe the Night Elf expected him to know what to do, so he had no idea if he should wait for the other to say something.  
Drinking his herbal tea, the redhead tried not to stare, but he couldn't help it, being on the look-out for any sign that Mello was angry, or annoyed.  
"Calm down." the Night Elf said suddenly.  
Matt almost started, not expecting to be noticed. He should have known better, really, since everyone always told him not to stare.  
"Sorry..." he murmured, ashamed.  
"Nothing to be sorry for. Stop the anxiety, everything is good." Mello stated with his thick Darnassian accent.  
The redhead was completely taken aback. This was a reply he had never gotten. The serenity that suddenly filled him surprised him even more, because he wasn't used to know if things were alright or not, and knowing they were alleviated his dread completely.

They resumed their journey as soon as they had eaten and the fire was raked out. Matt, cradled between Mello and the pommel, started to feel sleepy, and soon he was in dreamland, the Night Elf putting his arms on each sides of the redhead at ribs level, hands on the pommel, so the boy wouldn't fall.

Mello always appreciated that part of the travel, the tiger's large paws grazing the road at a steady rhythm. Only the sound of leaves in the wind and the occasional bird could be heard, sometimes punctuated by the whine of a faraway boar. He would relinquish in the feeling of heading home after a long journey, falling back into his habits, far from too many people. He had now duties that he didn't have before his father died, but these were times of peace, so he wouldn't be expected to do more than take decisions here and there and be present to official ceremonies. Night Elves followed the rules of nature, there was no need for a ruler per se, except when they had to be represented at times of war, which were fortunately over now, and hopefully for a long time. It didn't take away the power he had now, and the respect he was getting since childhood as the son of the late ruler, that had exponentially increased as his father passed away.

Mello stopped when he felt the animal under him slow down, deciding it was time for a halt. It was the middle of the afternoon, and they had reached an area where he knew a lot of small preys were easy to find. Matt was still sleeping, probably because of the infusion he had drunk earlier, so the Night Elf left him with the saber, and went hunting for a moment. It wasn't long until he caught enough to last them until the next day.  
As soon as he was back to the redhead and the mount, Mello gestured to the animal that he could leave to find his own preys.

The tiger, just like most mounts, was low maintenance. Only those horses Humans insisted to use needed specific stables, a harvest of hay and oat, and were easily hurt or sick. Mello knew that Humans used animals they could easily tame and breed, as well as dwarves with their rams, but such animals were preys and that's why Elves wouldn't use them. Cat mounts were not only mounts, but also fierce fighters defending their master in all circumstances.

The big cat hunted for half an hour, eating his heart's content before coming back to his master. Matt had woken up, a bit ashamed that he had fallen asleep, but now he was feeling refreshed, and as they moved on, he enjoyed the landscape all the more. The more they went, the more beautiful everything was to him, and he watched around him in awe.

When the night began to fall, they established camp, Matt starting the fire this time, happy that he could help, while Mello prepared the preys to cook them. Although he had slept a good part of the afternoon, the redhead fell asleep quite fast once it was time to call it a night. He had never travelled and he was exhausted.

The next day was no different, except for the short stop at Dolaanar, a village on the way to Mello's home. The Night Elf traded a few things he had brought back from Stormwind for things he needed that he couldn't hunt or make himself, and left just enough time to Matt so the boy could have a look around, before they left.

The afternoon was well advanced when they finally reached their destination: a small wooden house in the outskirts of Starbreeze, at short distance from the entrance to Shadowglen, right before the mountains.

Mello didn't live in the village. He had withdrawn from crowded areas as soon as he had been old enough to live alone, preferring to build a small but steady house, close enough to the village that he could go there in minutes, or be reachable quick enough, in a strategic place near a small lake, and not deep enough in the woods to be threatened by big animals. The road from his place to the village showed that it belonged to it, but Mello felt lucky enough that he could go, most of the time, for almost a week without seeing anyone visit him.

As Matt slid off the saddle, he took in the view before him with wide eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Note:** Yes I'm back! I'm taking a break from novel writing and editing and because I missed Matt and Mello too much! And you too!  
Sorry for the eventual typos, it's a raw chapter._

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The house was small, but well built. Matt hadn't expected Elves to erect anything but wooden buildings, so he was very intrigued by the way rocks had been assembled and stuck together. Yes, he had seen the architecture in Darnassus, and even the small inn at Rut'Theran should have given it away, but he had thought that maybe Rut'Theran wasn't totally under Elven influence since it was a place of passage, and the capital was... the capital, so it hadn't really counted as a perfect example of how Elves lived when in the woods.  
He felt a bit stupid, but awe took over pretty quickly as he dismounted, not even caring for the pain that was making a reappearance in his rear.

Mello slid off the saddle as well, removing it from the animal and walking to the entrance of his home. He turned around as he noticed that Matt wasn't following, still scrutinizing everything around as if he was trying to imprint every single detail in his mind. The redhead didn't know how long he'd stay here anyway, so he wanted to get the clearest image so he could remember it fondly. It was so beautiful...

The Elf waited for a while, a bit of pride swelling in his insides for the house he had built alone with his bare hands, as it was marvelled upon by the Human's gaze. Seeing as the other was too busy twisting his neck in every direction possible, he entered, and deposited the dusty saddle on the floor by the door. He came back with a brush, whistling ever so slightly to call the huge cat that had started to roll on his back in a grassy patch, his fur itchy after long hours of being harnessed.  
The beast stood up and pounced forward to his master, eager for the relief of a good grooming, but much to Mello's surprise, it went back and forth between him and the Human, pushing the latter with his nose in direction of the Elf. The animal finally started rubbing his gums against the brush before emitting a low growl as he placed his head under Matt's palm. A playful growl that Mello hadn't heard for years, when the mount was still just a kitten.

"Groom him."  
Matt looked at Mello, taking the brush that was handed out to him. The animal pounced again, in direction of the grassy patch this time, and let himself fall on his side, waiting.  
The redhead approached, and knelt beside the snow saber. He began to groom his belly lightly, applying more pressure as he gained confidence that it was what the beast wanted.

Mello turned around and went back inside, perplex.  
He left the saddle and bags unattended for now, taking care of arranging a place for the redhead to sleep since it was obvious he would be staying here. His own bed was against the wall on the left as he had his back to the door, a small kitchen on the right with barely enough space in the middle for a round water hyacinth rug he had retrieved from his father's house as the latter had passed away. The rug had been braided by his mother, and it was one of the rare things he had kept from his parents. He wasn't attached to belongings, but this particular item held the memory of his mother sitting by the fire in winter, pulling on the strings of dried hyacinth as the decoration grew in size little by little, her voice singing and her face rising from her work from time to time to smile to him as he sorted the long leaves by size at her feet.

A few feet after the bed resided a door leading to a small room. It was filled with drying racks, unfinished straw baskets, furs and various supplies, mostly things that had been left unattended because of his recent duties as the new ruler, or material he used on a regular basis. Mello quickly discarded the content of the room to the small barn beside the house, that he reached by the door at the left just before his bed. He usually only kept there enough water for drinking or a quick cleaning, a place for his mount's saddle and a sleeping rug for the animal himself, even if the cat was free to sleep inside of the house if he felt like it. Which he usually did. Mounts were usually allowed to stay in a separate space when they belonged to families, just like his parents' mount had been, mostly because they'd take way too much space inside of a house, but Mello lived alone and he didn't mind the animal being a little closer than what was usually expected. He wouldn't have a choice now anyway, since his mount's area was taken by various items.

Thinking twice, Mello brought back a flat straw braiding with him along with two large bear furs, and set them on the small room's floor as a makeshift bed. He rolled a few rabbit skins in a ball and stuffed them in a linen bag for a pillow to finish his installation. It wasn't exactly how he'd have received a guest, but Matt was no guest after all, and the Night Elf didn't have a better solution as for now.

Mello thought for a few seconds. What would he do with the Human, actually? Matt couldn't live on his own right now, he needed to know the region, or at least decide that it was a place where he wanted to stay, and he needed to heal. Both physically and mentally. And by that, Mello didn't think of the hurt and despair the redhead's situation might have imposed on him, but this terrible habit he had of making himself responsible of what others did to him. The Night Elf frowned at the thought: the Human was not fit for this world if he kept with that reasoning, because he'd always be prey to anyone wanting to take advantage of him.  
And, Mello had brought him here so he was responsible for him for the time being. At least for now he could teach him about the surroundings, see what the redhead was able to do besides taking care of the mount, and try to get him to harden a bit. Then maybe he could release him, and not feel guilty about it.

Release him, that's exactly how the Elf felt toward the Human. He felt as if he was forcing him to stay.  
Matt would probably have left already if Mello hadn't ordered him to follow. The Night Elf understood the will not to be a burden, it was proof to him that at least Matt had some honour, and he hated that he had to somehow crush the Human's pride by treating him like a child unable to take care of himself. But the sooner Matt would learn to be on his own, the sooner Mello would go back to his solitary and worry-less life. As worry-less as being now the Supreme Elf was. He wasn't sure about what he felt sometimes, be it a slight anxiety that his father didn't have the time to pass him his knowledge about the position, or something else, but he found it harder and harder to sleep lately. He would often wake up feeling empty, his body sweaty, in the middle of the night, and he hated it.

Glancing through the door, the Night Elf saw Matt still grooming the huge cat. He picked up the saddle from the floor, cleaned it thoroughly before putting it away in the barn, and emptied his bags on the kitchen table minus the one containing the plants he had gathered and dried.

When he came back to the door, the redhead was coming his way, brush in hand, the beast disappearing into the nearby woods, probably to relieve himself and find a few preys for his dinner. That's what the animal usually did when Mello had completed the grooming after a long travel or at the end of the day, but the Elf had expected the mount to wait for him and not leave like that, since he wasn't the one grooming this time. It unsettled him even more, because the cat looked as if he considered Matt as his master already, which was very far from his usual behaviour and habits.

It didn't make the Night Elf angry or jealous, but it made him think, because his mount's instincts were to be trusted, and while he didn't dislike the Human - it was more a circumstantial discomfort than anything - it made him realise that weak Human or not, there was something about Matt that the animal saw, that himself hadn't detected yet, obviously. Such feral beings only got protective, respectful and obedient with their masters, and it wasn't because Mello had asked his mount to stay around Matt while he was away that the animal had developed this attitude, it had started earlier, when the cat had moved during the night to sleep next to the redhead.  
The fact that he was now gone into the woods without his permission meant that he had understood a semblance of permission when Matt had finished grooming him. Thus, he considered Matt as his master. Why was something Mello needed to discover.  
For now, he would simply accept that fact for the convenience it brought. Matt was well protected if the snow saber had a liking to him, and the Night Elf could also expect the cat to obey him if the need came up.

"Follow me." Mello said as he took the brush from Matt's hand and deposited on the furniture near the door. Securing the bag full of herbs on his shoulder, the Night Elf exited the house, the redhead walking behind him, not daring to question their destination.  
It was late in the day, and although Mello was tired from the travel, and he knew Matt was as well, he wanted to bring his harvest to the drood of his tribe now instead of waiting the next morning, to avoid the crowd of the market.

As they reached the village, the Night Elf felt a slight dread pool inside of him. He was all at once displeased by the looks he was starting to receive from the few people present as he advanced on the road, surprise, if not scorn, present in their eyes at the sight of the Human, and anxious about the reception Matt would get here.  
Most of his subjects - he hated to relate to them as such but now they were - wouldn't care. Night Elves were not keen on Humans because they considered them weaker and corrupted, but they would not give Matt a bad time, especially since he was under the Supreme Elf's supervision. But some of them might cause some trouble to the redhead, if not physically, at least verbally or by attitude.  
But most of all, Mello expected disapproval from the drood. Bringing a Human here, when they had avoided mingling with other races until now, preserving peace and quiet, would be seen badly, because of the mixed if not downright negative energies it would surround the village with.

Mello pressed on nonetheless, casting a dark look to the people around to scatter them, until he reached the house of the drood.  
"Oh..."  
The Night Elf turned around to see why the Human had suddenly expressed surprise. Matt was looking at the drood's home with wide eyes, speechless. The redhead took a few seconds to recover and look at Mello, realising the latter was silently waiting for an explanation with a furrowed brow.  
"It is exactly like in my dream on the ship to Rut'Theran."  
Mello stared at him some more, without a word, before resuming his walk, and close the distance to the drood's door.

"Mello, Ishnu Alah!" the old Elf greeted the younger, standing from his chair with the help of his cane and walking to him.  
Matt stood at the door frame, too impressed to come in, as Mello approached the drood and bowed. He was even more wary that it was Mello who bowed, although he was high ranked, so the old Elf must be even more important. Shall he bow too?  
He didn't have time to ponder as two deep green eyes fell on him and a hand beckoned him to approach. Matt's heart started to race, and he felt like crying. He had to do his best not to make a mistake.  
He took careful steps toward the older Elf, and bowed just like he had seen Mello do.  
"Who are you, child?" the aged but steady voice asked him.  
"I brought him back from Stormwind-" Mello began in his native language although his elder had spoken directly to the Human, and in the latter's language. The drood silenced him with a raised hand.  
Matt was scared. This old Elf was obviously very important if Mello obeyed him and didn't even look angry about it, and he was now expecting him to speak for himself.  
"Do you have a tongue?"  
"Ye-yes..." Matt replied, his gaze not leaving his feet.  
"So you can speak for yourself, child. Now tell me who you are."  
Matt somehow felt reassured by the gentle tone the drood used, and as he dared glance at him, he saw that the old Elf was smiling kindly to him, so he felt a little less anxious to speak.  
"My name is Matt, I am from Stormwind and... Mello helped me and..."  
Matt didn't know what he was supposed to say or not, he didn't want to put Mello in a bad position, or babble too much, so he stopped at that, and the drood, although scrutinizing him strongly, seemed content with that answer.  
"Matt from Stormwind, welcome. Well, at least, welcome in my humble house The rest of the village might not be so happy with your presence here but know that there is a place for you to my table and by my fire anytime you will be willing to spare me a visit."  
Matt noted that the drood knew his native language perfectly, unlike Mello, but he was mainly shocked to be received so warmly.  
"Thank you." he replied. It seemed like a weak answer to such a welcome but he kept to basics in hopes that he wouldn't screw up.

Mello apparently wasn't at the end of the day's surprises. Why was everyone so keen on this Human? What was he missing? His mount, now the drood?  
He looked questioningly at his elder as he handed him the harvest he had brought, but the other ignored him on purpose, taking the bag and emptying it into a basket on the table. He then prepared several potions and ointments and filled the bag with them before giving it back to Mello.  
This didn't surprise Mello, the drood could see what was wrong with anyone with just a look. He felt things more than he saw them and he probably knew everything there was to know about the Human's condition by the moment he had laid eyes on him. Matt was in a much better shape than when Mello had found him but he still needed care.

"Matt, please go to the garden and enjoy yourself there while I speak with Mello." the old Elf said as he sat back, gesturing Mello to do the same.  
The redhead exited without a word, Mello looking from the drood to the Human, perplex. How did Matt know where the garden was?  
"It will be hard for you to accept it, but he was put on your way on purpose."  
"I do not doubt that, I know that Elune never does anything without a purpose. He was badly hurt and I suppose that there was no way he could stay where he lived without being at risk."  
"It's all in your honour that you didn't divert your path from what Elune had planned for you because he is Human, I would not have expected less of you, considering your rank, your blood and your nature, but do not be fooled Mello, Elune's purpose might not be what you see right now."  
"What do you mean?"  
Mello stared right into the eyes of the old Elf, trying to see if he was being serious. His elder could be playful at times and he wasn't deprived of a sense of humour. But he looked dead serious as he stared back at the younger Elf.  
"You don't see it now, because your totem is still in kitten stage, no matter your position as the Supreme elf right now, you find simple answers to complicated questions, and you miss the subtleties."  
"I am old enough not to be treated as a child." Mello frowned.  
"You can take care of yourself, this is a fact. But your totem somehow isn't growing as it should. I've been witnessing this for quite some time now, but I can feel it stronger today now that you returned. I was not too worried because it happens sometimes, and it solves by itself with time, but something is not quite right as I see you today. Your totem is dying Mello. It is leaving you."

The younger Elf took a sharp breath upon hearing this.  
"What will happen to me?" he asked, the drood's worried expression putting him in distress.  
"We need to find the reason why your totem is leaving you. You have been granted one of the most powerful totems that exist, and the only reason I can come up with now, by experience, is that your totem does not deem you worth of him."  
At least the drood hoped it was the reason, as unpleasant as it was. This way, there was a way out, that Mello wouldn't have, in the case it was not the explanation to the problem.  
"Does that mean that my totem is too strong for me?"  
"It is a possibility. At least, this is the only one I know of."  
Mello couldn't believe that theory. Him? The son of Melvaarion, the heir of a long and powerful lineage? His pride was stung badly.  
"Did the Human corrupt me?"  
"No. And I believe that such a question is not worthy of your rank, Mello. Do not pretend yourself above other races, and do not underestimate this specific Human you brought here."  
"What will happen to me if my totem leaves me?" Mello asked again. He had a possible explanation as to why it could be happening, but the drood hadn't touched upon the outcome of this.  
"At best, we will have to purify you to give you a weaker totem," the older one stated, leaving out of his explanation the fact that Mello would lose all respect from his people, and his rank would decrease to place itself below the one of his rival, leaving the latter with Mello's actual duties as the Supreme Elf, "But in the case it leaves you for a different reason and we can't replace your totem... Do you remember Altheraan, Mello?"  
Of course he remembered. Altheraan was a middle ranked man living in the highest part of the village when Mello was a small child, a poor soul that had lost speech and reason, that served at the temple in Darnassus now, repeating small tasks everyday for food and shelter, and a semblance of purpose.  
"Will I be like him?" Mello felt a knot form in his stomach.  
"We'll do our best to make peace with your totem, Mello."

The older Elf tried to reassure Mello. He wasn't happy with the distress he could feel coming from the one facing him, but he couldn't have kept these informations any longer, the matter was too serious.  
He had dearly hoped that it was only a fugacious little problem just like some had met before, and that Mello would return with a flourishing totem from his visit to the Alliance tribes, but the young man had come back with a totem in a worse shape than before, and the drood wasn't keen on waiting for Mello to take wife and procreate to see if it would solve anything. He doubted both that Mello would take wife before a long time, and that it was the solution for his totem to find peace within him.

"Mello, did your father tell you about your grandfather?"  
The older Elf poured some herbal tea, the preparation good for stress relief. Mello looked up at the drood at the question, shaking his head slightly as a negative answer.  
"When I was still a little child, although I remember it very clearly because it was the very first totem ceremony I witnessed that wasn't mine, your grandfather, who was just slightly younger than me by a few weeks, was totemised with the most powerful totem ever: the Blue Dragon. It was his father's totem, and the father of his father's totem, and as far as I can remember, it had been for the whole of your lineage until your grandfather."  
The drood took a sip, ignoring the impatient look he received from Mello who was waiting for him to speak further. The young ruler had never heard of this story and he was eager to hear it, and understand where the drood was going with it.  
"My father, who was leading the ceremony, told me later on, when I was old enough to understand what I didn't that day, even if I could feel it, that tradition had prevailed over reason when it had come to choosing the child's totem. The Blue Dragon had been the totem for all males of that lineage that were destined to rule, and although my father had warned the parents that the totem seemed reluctant to comply with the child's soul, and that choosing a slightly weaker totem was a better choice, in the end, he assigned the Blue Dragon nonetheless. You see, even us drood can have our weaknesses, and my father had a soft spot for your great grand mother..."  
"That's how my grandfather ended up with the Snow Saber..."  
"Yes. He was lucky enough at the time that it was still a stronger totem than everyone else in the clan and still was when he became the Supreme Elf in his turn..."  
Mello's head shot up, and the drood knew that the young male had put two and two together and understood that since he was already the Supreme Elf, and that his rival's totem, the Emerald Owl, was only slightly weaker than his, losing his own totem to a weaker one would at best put him at same level than his rival, but as he was already in position as the ruler, the negative aspect of things would take the position away from him.  
Not that he cared about the position itself, although he knew his pride would hardly take the blow, but he would have to leave power in the hands of the precise one that should never have it, dooming his people in the process.  
Being an outcast to his own tribe, this he could deal with, he already lived at a distance anyway, but fearing for war, and having to obey someone like his rival was more than he could take.

"I am truly sorry for what is happening to you, Mello, but I do believe that it is not for nothing. Trust Mother Nature, and accept your fate, this is the only option you have."  
"You're asking too much from me right now."  
Mello stood up, shaken by what he had just learned, and as he was about to pass the door, he turned around.  
"Why am I weaker? Why was my grandfather?"  
"This, you will have to discover yourself, Mello. This is something my powers cannot do for you. Your grandfather revealed himself a poor ruler and led us to countless wars, so this was pretty much self explanatory, and fortunately, your own father didn't repeat the same mistakes, he served Elune his whole adult life as the one who fought and ended your grandfather's wars. We all believed, when you were born, that your time would be a time of peace, and I still believe it."  
The words were not enough for the young man to feel better. Too much had just fallen upon him, and coupled with the journey's exhaustion and having the Human to supervise, he went to the garden to fetch Matt with a stern expression on his face.

The way back to Mello's house was silent, the redhead not daring to utter a word although he had many questions about everything. He wondered if he had done something wrong, but he wasn't brave enough to ask.  
When they arrived, Mello showed Matt where the small lake was and let him clean himself while he went back to prepare dinner. They ate, still in silence, and as Matt cleaned the dishes, Mello went to the lake in his turn to bathe the travel's dust away.  
When he came back, Matt was sitting on the doorstep, the mount at his feet. It moved out of the way as the redhead stood up to let Mello get in.  
"Come." Mello said, depositing his bathing supplies on the nearest furniture before leading the way to the small room. He opened the door and gestured to the makeshift bed. "You sleep here."  
Matt looked at the bed, then at Mello.  
"Sorry, this is all I have." Mello stated.  
But Matt was far from being discontent with the rudimentary bed.  
"This is more than I ever had." he simply said, a huge thankful smile spreading on his face.  
Mello was taken aback.  
"Sleep now."  
He stepped out of the room and closed the door.


End file.
